The effect of storage ageing and spring sprouting of seed tubers on the yield of three potato varieties in the Finnish Lapland

Abstract

The objective of this study was to investigate the effects of storage ageing on the emergence, stem and tuber number and yield of potato grown at the MTT Lapland Research Station in Rovaniemi in the Arctic Circle (66°35'N). Three varieties, Puikula, Tanu and van Gogh, differing in earliness and storing properties, were used. Two sprouting treatments in the spring, i.e. varietal optimum and control with no sprouting, and four storage treatments, i.e. autumn, mid-winter, autumn and winter and control, were applied. A split-split-plot design was used. The emergence, stem and tuber numbers and yield were determined. Storage ageing enhanced the emergence up to 6 days depending on the cultivar and spring sprouting treatment. The tuber yield also increased by approx. 8 tn ha-1. The stem and tuber numbers were not affected by winter ageing. However, the enhancement in emergence and increase in tuber yield were not high enough to compensate for the need for proper spring sprouting. According to this study, storage ageing cannot replace proper sprouting.